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Express Consent

Express consent means explicitly giving permission for something to happen. Typically, express consent comes in the form of a verbal or written statement. Customers often give express consent for corporations to send them marketing communications by providing some form of written consent, such as filling out an "opt-in" form. These forms give companies permission to send a customer marketing texts, emails, or push notifications. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), corporations must request express consent from customers in order to send marketing communications to their phone or email. Defying the GDPR can cost a business thousands of dollars in non-compliance fees.

What Small and Midsize Businesses Need to Know About Express Consent

Small businesses often use marketing communications such as marketing emails to update their customers on new product offerings, sales, and events. Before sending marketing communications to their customers, businesses should ensure that they get express consent from their customers to do so. If a small business doesn't obtain express consent before sending out marketing emails, texts, or push notifications, they could be hit with a huge fine that can severely affect their bottomline. To gain express consent, small businesses should use clear branding and language in their opt-in forms. This helps ensure that customers know exactly what marketing communications they are opting to receive and what company they will be receiving them from.

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